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Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)

How to Transfer Marriott Points to Airlines: Your Guide to Become an Instant Expert

March 13, 2019
by
Harlan Vaughn Harlan Vaughn

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Harlan VaughnMillion Mile Secrets Team

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Marriott Bonvoy is now its own standalone loyalty program, but kept one of the best parts of Starwood’s old program: Points transfers to a long list of airline partners.

And did them one better by adding more partners to the list, and keeping transfer ratios intact. They even retained the 5,000-mile transfer bonus everyone knows and loves!

Several Airline Partners ONLY Have Marriott Points as a Transfer Partner, Like American Airlines and Alaska Airlines. And the Transfer Ratios and Bonuses Are Still There!

Here’s what you need to know about transferring your Marriott points to airlines!

How to Transfer Marriott Points to Airlines – Rules, Limits, & How It Works

You can now transfer your Marriott points to 40+ airline partners, including perennial favorites like American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, ANA, and Southwest.

Here’s the full list of partners:

Aegean Airlines

Aeroflot

AeroMexico

Air Canada

Air China

Air New Zealand (200:1)

Alaska Airlines

Alitalia

ANA

American Airlines

Asiana Airlines

Avianca

British Airways

Cathay Pacific

China Eastern Airlines

China Southern Airlines

Copa Airlines

Delta

Emirates

Etihad

Flying Blue (Air France / KLM)

Frontier Airlines

Hainan Airlines

Hawaiian Airlines

Iberia

Japan Airlines

Jet Airways

JetBlue (6:1)

Korean Air

LATAM

Lufthansa

Qantas

Qatar

Saudia Airlines

Singapore Airlines

South African Airways

Southwest

TAP

Thai Airways

Turkish Airlines

United Airlines (3:1.1)

Virgin Atlantic

Virgin Australia

You’ll notice new airlines on the list. For instance, China Southern and LATAM are back after being removed previously. And Qantas, Southwest, and Turkish Airlines are new additions.

Transfer Ratios Are 3:1 – With 3 Exceptions

The good news is transfer ratios are mostly 3:1. That means that for every 3,000 Marriott points you transfer, you’ll get 1,000 miles or points with nearly every program.

Marriott Even Kept the Bonus When You Transfer to United Airlines – So You’ll Get 10% More Miles on Every Transfer

The exceptions are:

Air New Zealand – 200:1

JetBlue – 6:1

United Airlines – 10% bonus on every transfer, for a 3:1.1 transfer rate

Other than these, I like how simplified the ratios are for other partners.

Transfer Rules to Airlines

You must transfer at least 3,000 Marriott points at a time. That will get you 1,000 miles with nearly every airline program on the list.

And the most you can transfer per day is 240,000 Marriott points (which would get you 100,000 miles in most programs).

Transfer Bonuses

When you transfer 60,000 Marriott points, you’ll get a bonus 15,000 Marriott points added to your transfer. So you’ll get 20,000 miles for airlines with a 3:1 transfer ratio, plus an additional 5,000 bonus miles (from the 15,000 Marriott point bonus).

So for every airline on the list except Air New Zealand and JetBlue, you’ll get 5,000 more miles on top of the 20,000 miles you’d ordinarily earn. And with United Airlines only, you’ll still get a 10% transfer bonus.

For this reason, I recommend transferring your points in 60,000-point increments!

You Can Transfer a Specific Number of Points

As long as you transfer at least 3,000 Marriott points, you can pick any specific number over that for your transfer amount.

That means if you need exactly 1,112 miles for an award flight, for example, you could transfer 3,336 Marriott points. I love this – no orphaned miles hanging around!

How to Transfer Marriott Points to Airline Partners

Speaking of examples, let’s look at how to transfer your Marriott points to airlines!

Step 3. Click the Button, Baby!

Marriott Reminds You of the Rules on This Screen. Click “Transfer Points” to Start Converting

Step 4. Enter All the Details

This page is where you’ll add everything relevant to your transfer: What type of miles you want and how many.

Input Your Details, Then Click “Continue”

You’ll see a drop-down menu with the list of airline partners. Select the one you want.

Then, enter how many points you want to transfer. The number of miles you’ll receive updates automatically as you put in the number of points.

Note: At this time, 5,000 bonus miles for transferring 60,000+ points are NOT showing on this screen. But I confirmed with a Marriott representative that you WILL receive your bonus miles. United Airlines bonus miles DO appear here.

Notice how I’m able to receive exactly 1,112 Alaska Airlines miles in the image above! 🙂

Step 5. Make the Transfer

One more button to click – “Convert.”

After that, you’re finished.

Once You Click “Convert,” You’re Done!

But keep in mind, there’s no going back after you click that button. Transfers are irreversible. So double-check every detail to make sure it goes through smoothly!

How Long Does It Take Points to Transfer to Miles? Even I’m Confused!

Marriott says:

Please allow approximately 6 weeks for miles to be posted to your account or contact your local Member Supportto inquire about express service (may be subject to a fee).

In our experience, transfers are usually much faster than 6 weeks. I’ve heard most partner transfers are done in 6 days or less. But Marriott is covering their bases and adding a LOT of extra time.

I called to ask about their “express service” fees and wow – they are all over the place.

To gauge a dollar amount, I asked how much it would cost to transfer 60,000 Marriott points to Alaska Airlines and got a quote for “1 to 2 weeks” for $15.

So Wait – How Long Does It Take to Transfer Points to Miles? And How Much for Express Service? It Varies Based on Many Factors

The agent asked if I wanted it sooner and what my Marriott status is (Gold elite) because those are factors too. I asked how much it would cost for the fastest transfer with the highest elite status, but did NOT get a clear answer.

This hasn’t been solidified or organized into a proper chart – each request needs manual research. So I would NOT rely on this “express service” in any way.

The agent did tell me, however, you must transfer at least 10,000 Marriott points with express service and most fees are stable once you transfer at least 30,000 Marriott points. The fee still varies by airline, how soon you want to transfer, and what elite status you hold.

If you’re interested, you can call Marriott at 801-468-4000 to ask about an express transfer. But be warned: It’s messy right now. I was on hold for 45 minutes to ask one simple question!

All this to say, if you want to transfer your points to miles, be sure to give it plenty of time!

Platinum Elite Status (Welcome gift of either points, breakfast, or an amenity depending on the hotel, lounge access where available, room upgrade, including suites when available) after spending $75,000 on purchases in a calendar year

Annual free night (worth up to 50,000 points) after you renew your card

It has a $450 annual fee. (See Rates & Fees) But if you make the most of the benefits, it can be worth it, especially if you stay often at Marriott hotels.

Bottom Line

You can transfer your Marriott points to 40+ airline partners! It’s a mostly straightforward process. And, post-merger with Starwood, you’ll find new transfer partners and old faves, like American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, and Southwest.

Marriott kept same transfer ratios and the much-loved 5,000-mile bonus when you transfer in increments of 60,000 Marriott points to partners with 3:1 ratio, which is nearly all of them. Only Air New Zealand and JetBlue have worse ratios (200:1 and 6:1, respectively). And United Airlines transfers earn a 10% bonus on every transfer.

You must transfer at least 3,000 Marriott points at time. And there’s a cap of 240,000 Marriott points per day (which equals 100,000 miles in most programs). All transfers are final once complete.

Keep in mind, Marriott says points transfers can take up to 6 weeks, although most folks report receiving their miles in under a week. Overall, I’m pleased that Marriott kept – and in some cases improved – this valuable way to redeem points.

What do you think of Marriott points transfers to airline miles?

For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex Card, click here.

For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex Card, click here.

Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)

Transferred about 300,000 point to Aeroplan last week, to find that they’re basically useless. With fees and taxes, flights we almost the same price as paying cash. Car rentals bot available via points at my destination. Horrible program. Trying to get Marriott to reverse the transfer.. . Is this possible?

I agree! I hate waiting, too! If you know you want to use a certain program down the road, it might be worth it to go ahead and make the transfer super early so you want your miles waiting there for you.

Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)